Severe Seasonal Allergy

I do not think Benadryl is recommended. When I was breastfeeding, I only used medications that were approved when I was pregnant. From what I remember, I could take anything that was tylenol. Tylenol allergy sinus helped me. I know how you feel; I suffered with allergies and sinus infections through prenancy and breastfeeding... 2 years is a long time to suffer. good luck.

I had the same problem when i was breastfeeding my son. The ent doctor i work with told me to use afrin and claritin. Big help, i could breath again! Good luck and congrats!

My OB/GYN told me it was safe to take Tylenol PM while I was pregnant. The sleep aid in the Tylenol PM is the same active ingrediant that is in Benadryl.

Eat a small amount of LOCAL honey everyday. It is made from the same pollen that is making you sick and will help build your defenses. Just make sure it is local to you. We have stuff at our store labeled "local" that is from over 40 miles away. If you live close to Tomball, I have a neighbor who has bees and makes their own honey.
We use a sinus rinse that other people are talking about. I have seen it at CVS and Walgreens. Personally, I didn't like it but it did clear out my nose. My husband uses it when his allergies are bad and he swears by it.

I had a cold once, and my pediatrician told me to take benadryl. My daughter whom I breastfeed did not seem to fuss as some babies do. The only problem for me was I had lower milk supply. I think it is best to talk to your child's pediatrician and ask what OTC drugs you can take.

Good luck!

Sincerely,
R.

I was told by a pharmacist not to take Benedryl while nursing, beacause it does pass throughbreastmilk. I was also told by a midwife that it can decrease milk supply. I'd call your doctor and get a recommendation.

I had sinus infections about every six weeks for a solid year. They did a scan and said I didn't need surgury so they were sending me to an allergist to start shots. In the meantime a doctor that was in practice with mine faxed an article to me about people with cronic allergies and sinus infections. It said that a huge percentage of these people were cured by doing a simple saline sinus rinse. I haven't had a sinus infection in 2 years. The best one I've found is the Neil Med Sinus Rinse and you can buy it at Walgreens or People's Pharmacy. Use it every night to wash out the allergens from the day. After a few days you'll definitely notice the difference. It literally changed my life.

Hi! Like some others have said. It can dry up your milk. This is what happened to me and as hard as I tried I could not recover my milk supply. I think that the best treatment for allergies is to usr the Neil Med Sinus Rinse. You can do this 2-3 times/day. Also try some Nettles and Buffered Vitamin C. Both of these are safe.

R.

Benadryl is really good for you even though you are not preggo anymore.I take it when the season changes and my alergies start acting up more than a little bit.Congrats on the new baby in your life.

Congrats on exclusively bf-ing!
*You* can take whatever you did when you were pregnant. The thing is, now your lactating and need to be aware that anything made to dry up your congestion and mucous membranes, will/can also dry up your milk. Some women can take OTC meds and be fine - either their milk supplies can take the hit, or the meds just don't affect them this way.
You may or may not be one of those women. If you've struggled with supply issues at all, I would really really recommend against otc-decongestants.
The neti pot is good, tho awkward if you're not used to that type of thing.
A saline spray might help.
Eucalyptus oil and menthol work wonders with just a drop or 2 under your nose.
Cut some onions or peppers!Think about how much you cry and sniff while cutting these...Use it to your advantage and cut extra to freeze for later when you don't want to clear your sinuses.
For more information, your local LLL might have some advice
http://www.lllaustin.org/

hth and happy nursing

K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 14m

I am pretty sure that benadryl is safe, but best to check with your doctor first. Also, try to determine what you are allergic to. I am highly allergic to dustmites and found out that dustmites thrive in climates of high humidity and love to live in carpet, bedding, etc. We pulled out the carpet in our bedroom, I have mattress and pillow encasements on my bed, and I wash my sheets and comforter once or twice a week in HOT water. I thought all of this was a bit over the top at first, but did it at the suggestion of my doctor and it has made a HUGE difference. I don't really even have to take allergy medications anymore and I was previously a person who was constantly either doped up on meds or constantly blowing my stuffy nose. Bottom line, if you can figure out what is causing the allergic reactions, it really can help you a tremendous amount by just removing the cause. Doing sinus irrigation with either a baby bulb syringe or a neti pot can also be very helpful, too. Just be sure to use non-iodized salt (as opposed to iodized) or it will burn! Hope this helps!

I'm not sure if it is safe, but I do know that you need to be careful when taking antihistamines when breastfeeding because they will sometimes affect your milk supply (i.e. they dry your milk up like they dry your nose up). I would check with your OB/GYN.

Try taking Grapefruit Seed Extract. It is natural and has helped my allergies like you wouldn't believe. Should not have any problems with breastfeeding your child while on it.
Peg

beware antihistamines will dry up your milk. check with your doctor...

My son is 4 months old now and I am exclusively breestfeed... had trouble with allergies and such asked the pediatrician as well as o.b. for medications that were safe to take while breastfeeding and was told claritin, sudafed, and benedryl were all fine. I have taken all of these medications and have not had any problems with milk supply whatsoever.

They told me anything you take when you are pregnant is safe while your breastfeed over the counter sutff that it. And I take Benadryl. It is also good to help you sleep and they also told me safe for nausea. I have asthma and allergies really bad also. USE sinus rinse you can find it at wal greens. ITs AWESOME!!!!! It will keep your sinuses clean in preventing infection which we both know causes a chain reaction and effects our asthma. SO I use Benadryl and sinus rinse over the counter..:) Hope this helps
P.S. I also used it when I breastfed.

Benadryl is the only thing you can take when breastfeeding. Anything else can dry up your milk supply. I have been breast feeding for 14 months now and it works well and gives no problems. Best of luck

Young living has an oil called RC that really helps with congestion. e-mail me at ____@____.com if you want my member # and you can order on-line. A cold air diffuser with the respiratory oils in it really helps as well.

After watching Oprah's show, I learned there's something you can do that doesn't require meds. It's wonderful....it's called a neti pot. Google it and you'll find lots of places to buy one. They can also go by the name Sinu-cleanse. It looks like a small Aladdin's lamp and you fill them with saline (salt) and warm tap water. You lean over the sink and put it in one nostril and it drains through the other, then repeat on the other side. It clears out anything that is in your sinuses and it's natural. I haven't had to have any over-the-counter meds since getting it a year ago. I bought mine on-line since I couldn't find it at a local store and it seems like it was about $10. You can get them in plastic, clay, or all kinds. These have been used in others countries for centuries!

My husband has severe allergies and we live in the hill country where there is lots of cedar and other pollens. He found (through a neighbor) a lady here that makes her own natural allergy medications. So many of our friends and neighbors buy her products and swear by them. Her name is Dorin Kelley, Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and her phone number is ###-###-####. Her products are all natural. Her office is off of Wurzbach. Good luck.

You may try rubbing tea tree oil on the end of your nose. It is completely natural and wonderful! It even helps with snoring!!! I have many natural products that you can check out on-line. They are from a company that has been in business for over 20 years. They are very affordable and completely safe for your home without any toxins. Many times chemicals that are in cleaners and household products greatly aggravate allergies. If you would like to check out the web-site, send me an e-mail and I will send you the link. I hope this helps
M. J
____@____.com
workathomeunited.com/lovetobehome

I know your pain! I have severe seasonal allergies but I don't take any over the counter or prescription meds for them. I rely heavily on an herb that you can get in liquid form called Mullein. It's a natural decongestant. I use a kind by trlight herbs. You can find them online. Also they have organic teas made for allergies or breathing issues. There's one called cold care that tastes really good. I also take hot showers to help get decongested right before bed. I'm not sure what to do about the itching. I'm allergic to lotion (go figure) so I use a lot of ointments for itching. There's a lot of great oils out there that might help soothe itchy skin like sweet almond oil or maybe even some liquid vitamin e. I hope you get feeling better soon!! Way to go with the breast feeding!

I've taken Claritin (over the counter) and Nasonex (prescription) when pregnant and when breastfeeding.

My docs also approved plain Benadryl and Sudafed when nursing, but warned me that decongestants can dry up milk supply a little (temporarily), so make sure to drink plenty of fluids.

As far as natural remedies, nasal irrigation has helped me a lot. You can buy a kit at any drugstore. I also like a cup of hot peppermint tea. Also eating jalepeno potato chips helps me de-congest.

Ok this is going to seem like the most bizarre advice you have ever gotten but my mother has allergies and she says it works...Whole Foods carries "local" bee pollen. Keep in mind, this is probably the most natural remedy since you inhale pollen on a regular basis anyway. If you injest it slowly, you help your body adjust to the pollen levels without creating an allergic reaction. If you take too much too soon, you WILL trigger an alleric reaction. It comes in a jar and it is around $8-$10. You have to take one granule at a time and WORK YOUR WAY UP to 2 tsp a day (1 tsp twice daily). In other words: day 1 = 1 granule, day 2= 2 granules, day 3 = 3 granules etc. It is hard to work up to 2 tsp a day, but if can do it, you will find releif, and it is a natural remedy that you continue to take all year round. Once you are taking it regularly, you will find that your allergies won't really be an issue anymore. If you try it, let me know if it works for you. Just remember to find wWHERE the pollen comes from, if you live in Houston and the pollen is from California, it isn't going to work.

I wouldn't take Benedryl if I were you, but Alavert is safe and Afrin believe it or not. I did a lot of research on this when I was sick. Sometimes just drinking fluids and lots of rest works just as well. I know that the resting part is pretty much out of the question once you become a mom. :)

I think that Benadryl is safe to take, but it will probably lower your milk supply. So I would talk to your doctor about something that won't affect your supply. You also might try a Sinucleanse Netti Pot. Dr. Oz demonstrated the use of one on Oprah, and I use it when I get nasal congestion. It helps so much!!! What the Netti Pot does is cleans out your sinus cavity, and if you use it 2 to 3 times a day, it will help to flush out the allergens that are in your nasal cavity and give you some relief. You should be able to find one at Walgreens or Wal-Mart by the pharmacy. It is a very natural way to relieve nasal congestion.

Hey there
I really agree with Kelly's advice. Be aware of anything with a decongestant in it. I really think it dried me at 4 months with my first. So I was careful with my second and had no problem breast feeding untill he was ready to stop. I would ask your Dr about zyrtec. It is over the counter now and it really has made a difference for me. I know you can take it while your pregnant because I recently asked my allergest so it may be something worth asking. It is an antihistamine and doesn't make you as sleepy as benedryl. Good luck, thank goodness spring does not last forever!

Talk to your pharmacist, they would know better than your doctor. I was given benadryl when I was breastfeeding, so I am sure it is ok. Good Luck

I have been breast feeding for 5 1/2 months my Dr reccommended Zyrtek (you can get it over the counter now). Be sure to stay away from anything with a decongestant because it will dry uo your milk supply. I also use a nedi pot (you can buy at health food stores and I think walgreens now) to cleanse my sinuses. It is a salt water wash that works great and helps prevent future stuffiness. Hope you feel better soon.

Antihistamines will go through your breastmilk. Most pediatricians do not want young children to take antihistamines. I have bad allergies in the fall and spring and I used ALJ. It is an herbal allergy blend made by Nature's Sunshine Products. It was safe for me and my baby. After I weaned I kept using it for the both of us when we were having sinus trouble. They have capsules, vegitabs, and liquid so it's super easy to give it to children of any age. You can find it at their website www.naturessunshine.com . If you decide to become a member like I did, I would love to be your sponsor. My number is ###-###-####-6. I have used NSP on my children since I was pregnant with my 8 yo son. They are safe and effective. Good luck and congrats on the new baby!
V.

You can take Benedryl. I have allergies also and this really helps.

As a pharmacist, I will tell you it is not recommended for you to take Benadryl while breastfeeding. It crosses over and enters you milk supply. Antihistamines are not recommended in young children under the age of 2 but certainly not in infants. Besides the effect of extreme drowsiness it causes the baby, it decreases the seizure threshold and can cause multiple complications. If you feel you need relief, try using a sinus rinse (neti pot, sinu-cleanse etc...) If you're still having problems contact your child's pediatrician. Good luck.

Yes, you can take Benadryl while breastfeeding. I take Benadryl often for sleep. My Pedi says it's fine. Good luck.